Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Growler thanks to JonathanL7890, who responded on a Friday and sent it on a Monday, crossing border and delivered to me for Friday supper. Cheers to my weekend highlight. Very tasty hefe, a style itself which is most pleasing. I haven't a vertical tasting with the Town Hall version, fond memories of blowing me away, rather this stands on its own. Tasty,though a tad dry. Very creamy mouthfeel. The head looked great.

A: Pours a dark lemon slash very pale copper with a very nice white head and a good amount of lacing as it goes down.

S: All of the requisite hefeweizen scents are there, although the bubblegum and clove take the front seat. Good balance between everything that's going on, and a bit more intense than the typical hefeweizen.

T: The bubblegum flavor is the most intense, with a bit of clove spice coming through. Not too much banana in this one.

M: Light-medium body with good carbonation.

D: Very, very nice indeed. A good beer to sit around with all day long. I wish I had regular access.

Growler (Thanks Josh): Poured a hazy lightly dirty beige color weizen with a nice foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of light bubblegum notes with some what notes and some light cloves makes this a very interesting drink. Taste is also a good mix between some bubblegum notes with some light cloves and light banana ester. Body is quite full with good carbonation. Well brewed though I usually prefer my weizen with more banana ester but glad to had a chance to try this beer.

DanzBorin was generous enough to send this bad boy up to me! Thanks man!!

Poured out as a beautiful hazy golden color with a fluffy white head on top. The retention is very good with a minimal lacing. The smell of the beer is very fresh very inviting with some soft banana aromas. The taste is soft also, excellent flavors of wheat and banana, the clove is hidden which is interesting. The mouthfeel is very smooth also, almost creamy. Overall this was a killer beer. Really easy and refreshing. Very glad I got to try it.

famous for a reason, this is perhaps the best hefeweizen made on american soil, and if it isnt, i want to taste whats better. its so light and flavorful, truly an all day drinker, and quite authentic too. its super light in color, almost watery looking yellow, and with a smaller head than the german ones that froth all down the edges of the glass, but by no means flat. the nose is so much more than banana clove, although thats definitely going on here. the wheat malt is aromatic and flavorful for its real pale cloudy color, and the fruit of the yeast goes well beyond banana to pear and light green apple, even green grape. the spice aspect is lesser, more of a general allspice thing rather than clove, which works well for me, it keeps it light. carbonation is ample, and the finish is clean for how fruity the yeast is. i could drink ten or more of these and like each one just as much. maybe just a bit light in body for me, could use a touch more meat, but its hard to think about changing anything here. who says old world styles dont rank anymore? this is killer!

Ok, so I have been waiting to try this one forever. Much thanks goes out to JDV for hooking me up with a trade on this. Been waiting for a certain BA to get off his butt and meet me to split this one, and finally got around to it last night. In the great company of goindownsouth, his wife, and our favorite bartender Meg, we all split this growler with dinner. This was a really fun night.

Appearance - So this one poured out absolutely wonderfully, words cannot express how god this actually was, but I will do my best to give it a shot here. The pour was very lively, dumping a very rich, sediment filled bright liquid into the glass. The color was a little heavier then your typical golden yellow, some light peach tones in it, mostly due to the haze. This was such a hazy and cloudy beer, it was literally insane how much sediment there was floating around in here, it was nearly opaque from it, but enough light got through to really show off the colors very well. A beautiful three finger high head of lace formed on top. A very nice pillow of white, that hung around for what seemed like forever before settling down to just a thin film across the top which lasted for the rest of the session Deep white foamy lace was dripping all over the sides of the glass here, really thickening up as you went through. Some carbonation visible streaming up from the bottom to reinforce this as well. Now as far as Hefe's go, I have never seen one like this, I could not have imagined this looking any better, really just superb. The end of the growler was thick and chunky from so much settling down( your welcome Dan).

Smell - The aroma on this was insane. Again I have to say this was like a whole new style for me, as it opened my eyes as to what these should taste like, not the bland, light and utterly dull American version of a Hefe I am used to, this was nuts. Huge aromas coming off of this one, from the moment we unscrewed the cap. A deep rich banana flavor overtook me right away, and dominated the senses, mixed in with this were hints of vanilla, and peach, which I was clearly able to pick up right away. Some very nice notes of cloves and even a touch of vanilla were all readily picked up, and though for me it was the fresh banana that stole the show. As it warmed a little, I was starting to get those nice light notes of fresh wheat and grain mixing in now. Overall fantastic, I cannot imagine this smelling and better or any more inviting, dare I say perfect.

Taste - The flavor continued on right where the aroma left off, with one important change though, it was actually better! It is really hard to even put into words how good this was, and I am glad I am not alone in this judgment, as I am sure all who were there will attest to. This was just fantastic. Huge notes of banana and cloves come ripping right out of the gate. There was nothing harsh about this as every flavor was so intricately separate and distinct, yet at the same time, it was all effortlessly blended together. I was detecting lots of peach like notes, light fruit of various types, even hints of apricot now mingling in with the banana, which really just did not quit. There were wild grain notes weaving in and out of the profile now, giving it even more depth then it already had. Some very nice hints of vanilla now rounding it out towards the finish. The finish was nice and clean, with a touch of crispness to it. Flavor did not linger long, what did linger was a nice light fruity note, which was just outstanding and really sealed the deal for this one, at least for me. Again, I could not picture this tasting and better or any more complex then it did. I tried to describe the flavor as best I could, but to be honest, it was beyond description.

Mouthfeel - The feel on this was so light and airy. Very good profile here with not even the slightest bit of watering down or thinness to it at all. The carbonation level was top notch, in fact, it almost felt as if it was getting better as the session wore on, simply amazing. Great smooth and extremely clean feeling, this was just great. Nice finish as well, very well done.

Drinkability - Cannot imagine this getting any better here at all. I mean c'mon what was there here not too like. The flavors were intense, yet inviting, the carbonation was never dull, low ABV, well pretty much none, and a wonderful sense of smoothness. To say I could drink this forever would be about right. I could not imagine this one getting dull in anyway. Really very good.

Overall I think I have said how good this was enough here, but one more time, this was simply stated one of the best beers I have ever had, hands down. I love the bigger, intense beers we all crave, but sometimes you need something like this to bring you back to your roots, to show what can be done in the normal range, and how complex a style that can at times seem so simple and overdone, can really become. I was literally blown away by this.

A: The pour is somewhat light for a hefeweizen, tending toward a pale straw color with plenty of cloudiness and a white head.

S: A bit of the traditional banana and clove esters, but not all that intense. The wheat comes through nicely, as does a hint of citrus.

T: The yeasty esters are not as dominant as I normally like in my hefeweizens. The banana and clove are certainly there, but not they don't steal the show. Orange peel and wheat round things out, with maybe just a bit of lemon.

M: Somewhat light in body with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: I can see why this beer is so popular, especially for people down in Texas. Quite easy to drink, light, and refreshing.

A big thanks to JonathanL7890 for the chance to try this brew. Amidst the growing extreme beer trend it's not often that a beer like this earns such consistently high marks, which made me very curious about it.

Appearance: Poured into a 1L stein, this beer appears an opaque and turbid yellow with an orange tint. An enormous frothy white head forms and never recedes, quite a feat in one of these massive steins.

Smell: Banana bread, yeast, bubblegum and clove. Mild in aroma but very pleasant.

Taste & mouthfeel: Bready and yeasty with a spicy kick. This stuff is like liquid banana bread. Phenols are actually pretty tame; this brew has all of the classic hefeweizen flavors but it's ultimately fairly clean (and ridiculously easy to drink). The bready flavor lingers on right through to the finish. Body is light-to-medium, and though it goes down easy it's certainly not lacking in flavor.

While I don't think this tops the better German hefes out there, it's a good American take on the style.

Thanks to Monsone for importing and sharing the growler! Whip In ftw :)

Huge banana, bubblebum and lemon notes right off the bat. Very aromatic and fresh. Wheaty in the best way, with a minor spicy clove element in there too.

Hazy orange body, fluffy head with some retention. Attractive color, slightly less foam due to the growler, but it still looks nice.

Flavor is also very wheaty, simple with very estery banana and bubblegum notes again. Slightly sweet with a tangy edge. Sweetness fades quickly into a dry aftertaste. Lingering notes of banana, bubblegum again, and clean wheat flavors. Creamy feel with an ethereal lightness. Simple and classic. Fresher than most any import, and well crafted. Perfect for warmer weather. Nicely done.

I've heard some pretty gnarly things about this brew, particularly about it being the best hefe on the planet. The time has finally come for me to test these hyperbolic statements. It pours a rather cloudy straw, reminiscent of a carrot-orange-banana juice blend I sampled about a decade ago in Vienna (that's Austria, not Virginia). Nearly two fingers of white suds top it off, subsiding into a fine layer after a short respite. Honestly, this is what it looks like when books show representatations of hefeweizens. Archetypal all the way. So far, the hype has been lived up to. We'll see how the rest goes. The nose comprises banana, red apple, Granny Smith apple (they're both in there...trust me), caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, and a slight breadiness. My brain is awash with visions ranging from the sugary apple slices from my old local Bell's Orchard (it is missed) to a haystack standing in a citrus grove. I haven't wanted to drink a beer based on its smell this badly in some time. The taste holds notes of banana, orange zest, cloves, nutmeg, wheat, a light pepper, and pumpkin seeds. I'll say it: Damn, what a tasty hefe! It misses out on perfection by the slimmest of margins...I don't know what it would take to push it over, but I do know a tiny something is indeed missing. Nonetheless, this beer exhibits how every hefeweizen wishes it could taste. The body is a light medium, with low carbonation and a slight grainy feel. People: believe the hype. Best hefe on the planet? I just might have to accede to that, baby! Get some!!

Acquired via trade from jtortorice, so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 64oz growler into a weizen glass.

A: The beer is a cloudy gold color, with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of wheat, bananas, spices, citrus, light caramelized malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with strong flavors of wheat and yeast. Then some sweet flavors of bananas, spices and citrus come in. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and there's a mild but complementary hops presence that help provide a very good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, mild kick, very good representation of style, this is an excellent sessionable beer with all of the flavor and substance that make it worth drinking for an entire evening.